Improvement in the buckets of automatic grain-weighing machines



'R. PORTER.

Grain Meter.

No. 17.230. Patented May 5. 1857.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

RUFUS PORTER, OF IVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE BUCKETS 0F AUTOMATIC GRAIN-WEIGHING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 17,230, dated May 5,1857.

To all whom it may cone/17 72,:

Be it known that I, RUFUS PORTER, of the city and county of 'Washington,in the District of Columbia, have invented a new and usefulGrain-IVeighing Machine; and I hereby declare that the followingis afull and exact description of the same, reference being had to theannexed drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1is a front view. Fig. 2 is a side view. Fig. 3 is a vertical section ofthe head on the line 0 O of Fig. 5. Fig. 4c is avertical section of thespout on the line P P of Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of thespout 011 the line Q Q of Fig. Fig. 6 represents a section of theweight-bucket with its trap-door open and its knuckle-braces contracted.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

A hopper A is mounted upon a table B, which is supported by a centralpost 0 and two side posts D D.

Two buckets E E are suspended by leather straps from the centerward endsof two balance-beams F F, which are mounted upon pivots CL 0. in themanner of ordinary scalebeams 0r steelyards, and their bearings aresupported by two hangers G G, and the ends of each balance-beam arecurved on the arcs of circles of which the pivot bearing is the center.

From the outward ends of the balancebeams are suspended two lifting-rodsI I, upon which are arranged a series of circular weights IV IV, whichordinarily rest upon two braced arms II II. The weights and the arms areperforated with vertical apertures, through which the rods passdownward.

Between each bottom weight and the next above it is a pin or nut, asshown at c, Fig. l, by means of which the weights above are oecasionallyelevated in advance of the bottom weight. An inch below the bottomweight is another pin or nut, as shown at b, Fig. 1, between which andthe bottom weight is a helical spring J, which is ordinarily open andextended, but is compressed and closed up when the upper weights areraised; but when the balance-bean1 has reached a horizontal position thebottom weight is also raised.

To the front of the central post C is at tached a spout K, within whicha valve-gate L is mounted upon a shaft 6, and extends twice far abovethe shaft as below it. The valve-gate is somewhat wider than theordinary interior of the spout; but the latter is internally larger inthat portion which contains the gate than above it. The front and rearedges of the valve-gate are furnished with thin plate-flanges (Z d, andits motions to the right or left are restricted to the ordinary width ofthe spout. Below the valvegate is fixed a division-block M, and thesides of the spout are extended right and left, so that the differentpositions of the valve-gate directs the descending grain into eitherbranch, as occasion requires.

Upon the front end of the valve-shaft c is mounted a valve-plate N, tothe front of which are connected two driving pawls or fingers f f, whichalternately move a ratchet--wheel R, (see Fig. 3,) and also twotripping-rods S S, to the bottoms of which are attached twotripping-points s s, for purposes hereinafter explained.

The two buckets E and E are furnished with trap-doors m m, which arehinged to the bottoms thereof, opening downward and extending centerwardtwo or three inches from the line of the hinges, and the eenterwardedges are made heavy enough to preponderate and close the bottoms of thebuckets. To the projecting edge of each trapdoor and to the centerwardside of the bucket a pair of knuckle-braces 1' j are connected byhinges, being also connected to each other by a central hinge in such amanner as to open freely eenterward, but nottoward the bucket. From theupper end of each brace 2' an arm to projects centerward, nearly to thetripping-rod S. Immediately under the right arm to is a tripping-points, which is attached to the left tripping rod, and under the left arm isa tripping-point attached to the right tripping-rod. The knuckle-braces,when in their ordinary positions, prevent the opening of the trapdoors 5but the buckets are so adjusted that when either of them becomessufficiently charged to preponderate and elevate its respeetive weightsand change the position of the valve-plate N, the tripping-point 5 comesin contact with the arm 20, and thereby trips the knuckle=brace, thusallowing the trap door to open and discharge the contents of thebucket.Thenthe trap-door and knucklebraces instantly resume their ordinarypositions.

From each balance-beam F two horns g and h project centerward, and fromthe valveplat-e N two wings 75 76 project horizontally right and left.Above these wings are two catch-levers T T, which are mounted uponfulcrum-pivots t t, and each has a shouldercatch '1' r, for the purposeof'arresting the motion of the apex of the valve-plate and retaining ituntil tripped by the horn g.

Above the valve-plate is a small shaft it, upon which is mounted aratchet-wheel R, to the rear of which is attached a small eccentric t.Upon this shaft, in front of the ratchet-wheel, is a hollow shaft U,upon which is mounted another ratchet-wheel V. A small shackle-bar Z ismounted upon the eccentric 'U, and to the upper end thereof is connecteda vibrating pawl p, which gives motion to the ratchet V. The ratchet Ris moved by the fingers f f. The shafts have their front hearing in adial-plate X, in front of which are mounted two indices Y and Z. Theindex Y performs a revolution while the buckets are being filled anddischarged fifty times each, and the other index Z revolves once whilefifty revolutions are performed by the first.

To the centerward corners of each bucket is attached a short flange as,which slides vertically through grooves or notches made for thatpurposeih the guide-pins n, which are attached to two horizontalguide-bars y Fig. 2.

The dial-plate is protected by a frame and glass, and immediately aboveit, at the head of the spout, is a horizontal sliding gate 2, wherebythe stream of descending grain is regulated or occasionally suspended.

' Operation: The valve-plate N being placed in its right position, andthe hopper being supplied with grain, and the gate .2 being open, theleft bucket receives the stream of grain till the weight thereofelevates all the weights on the left save one, and the left balance-beamis brought to a horizontal position, as represented in Fig. 1, by whichmovement the horn h depresses the wing it, whereby the valve-plate isbrought to the position shown in Fig. 1, resting against theshoulder-catch of the catch-lever T, while the tripping-horn g isbrought into contact with the left end of said lever. By this positionof the valve-gate (indicated by the valve-plate N) the stream of grainis divided and three-fourths thereof is conducted to the right bucket E;but when the left bucket preponderates and raises the bottomweight ofthe left series the horn g trips the catch-lever T, and the valve-platebeing thus liberated, falls into its left position, suspending thedescent of grain in that direction, and at the same time and by the samemovement elevating the tripping point 8, thereby tripping the leftknuckle-braces and discharging the grain from the buckets. Then thetrap-door instantly closes and the kn ucklebraces resume their ordinaryposition. The same process is repeated with the right bucket, and theindex Z is moved one point by the reciprocal motion of the fingers.

The adjustment of the requisite weight is aided by two movable poise qq. The fingers f are drawn toward the ratchet-wheel by two elastic cordsor straps 0 0.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. The combination of the tripping-rods s with the valve-plate N andknuckle-bracesz' andj, whereby the movement of the valve-gate L, whichis operated by means of the scalebeams F, causes the contents of thebuckets E to be discharged alternately, as set forth.

2. The knuckle-braces i and j, in combination with the trap-doors m,whereby the latter are spontaneously closed and fastened immediatelyafter the grain is discharged, as set forth.

RUFUS PORTER.

Witnesses:

PAUL STEVENS, WM. H. FANN'ING.

